Patricia Roberg Fleeson

Hi Ty- sorry to hear that you've lost your mom. I didn't know her, but think that she probably gave you your artistic nature. Carry on with her love in your heart. Best wishes to you and Brad - Peggy

Thank you Ernie, for capturing so much of Pat. It is so important to capture her and her essence so that it continues to live. She was so important, that spirit of hers. And so hard to describe.
I am her daughter-in –law and I met Pat and Dick when I was in my 40 ’s and they were in their late 70’s. Tyler, in true form, tortured me before my first luncheon at 928 with them. He told me, ”They are going to grill you, you better measure up!” All in fun, I think, because when I met Pat and Dick, it was as if I had come home. My father and my aunts and uncles had died already, but here were Pat and Dick. They were people from a world I knew.
Born in the early part of the 20th century, with a certain set of ideals, values, ethics and integrity that belonged to that era and, if you were smart enough to appreciate it, and lucky enough to be close to it, and receptive to want to duplicate it, adds a certain level of grace and dignity to your life.
I loved Pat. I admired Pat. She stands , (and will always stand for me) as a standard of grace, strength and dignity that I HOPE I can pass to my sons and my grandchildren – who are her grandsons and her great grandchildren in spirit. It is a spirit of “the old Northwest” that I simply cannot describe better than Ernie has, but it does involve hiking, canning, crazy traditions, humor, pranks, and all kinds of things, a love and appreciation of nature that drew me to her son, and that Brad and Tyler carry forward into the world. She was a marvelous mother, the way she loved her sons, and is alive in the way those two men are connected and love each other. I married Tyler because of all that. I have two sons and what she brought to the world with Tyler and Brad, that love between brothers and the way they are in the world, I wanted my boys to know that. And they do. Thank you for that, Pat!
Tyler was so excited to take me on my first trip to Pennask! My first year with Tyler. I didn’t have gear, and I was embarrassed because I couldn’t afford the stuff. But Tyler bought me some appropriate gear, and Dick fixed me up with a rod down in the basement at 928. . I was an unfortunate “bait fisherman” but the Fleeson family fixed me up! Pennask… first time, so great!!! I had a fly that simply would not stop catching fish. I caught all of the biggest fish. My special fly just kept on catching. Even after all of the feathery fly stuff was off my hook and nothing else was on it but a hook. I just kept hookin’ em. Well, guess what? Pat wasn’t catching a thing, and she was not happy about that at all. I loved that about her. Ferociously competitive. Me too. I love it!
Pat hosted Thanksgiving for me and Tyler and my children every year until the last year. They were young teenagers when that started. Thanksgiving and her grace make Thanksgiving the holiday that my sons will still come home to. She always had something to show them, something to tell them about, a ”what’s it” or a brain teaser. A story about the 1930’s. Thanksgiving matters to them because of Pat.
Pat Fleeson…an amazing woman who instilled a spirit in the world that matters so much. It will not die. Her legacy lives in me, I have so much to live up to. It is alive in the hearts of all who knew her. I intend to pass it on.

Dear Brad and Ty,

I cannot express into words how fortunate I was to meet all of you all those years ago when I travelled  to Bellingham from Mexico. I am really sorry I couldn't find you sooner, but I remember all those moments with Pat, Dick and you two. I treasure all those great memories and hold them close to my heart. I'm sure that Pat and Belem (my mom) and Luis (my dad) are all together now in heaven. Hope to hear from you soon, and remember that you have in me, a sister , and whenever you want to come to Mexico, I'll be glad to meet you all here. God Bless you.